in December, has been dismissed for less than 20 in nine of his last 11 ODI innings.

Boycott believes the Dublin-born left-handed batsman, who has made 3,104 runs in 104 ODI innings at 36.51 for England, cannot handle the best bowlers in the world.

“When he had Mitchell Johnson up against him he looked a selling plater,” Boycott said.

“When top-class bowlers bowl against him he’s not so clever and that’s a big problem.”

Morgan under the microscope

Since making 121 against Australia on 16 January, England captain Eoin Morgan scored 0, 2 and 0 in his last three innings in the tri-series, and another duck against Pakistan – with two “did not bats” in the same period

Boycott added: “I think you need to look at when you score runs, in any form of cricket, against what the quality of the opposition is, and what state of the game it is.

“If you get runs against moderate bowlers when the team is doing well, I think my mother could get a few of them!”

England face Australia on the opening day of the World Cup on Saturday.